Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-06

FALSE CHARGES AGAINST THE WEATHER
FORD RAILWAY COMMITTEE.
al 70 tho Gozattp


Special to the Gazette.
WEATHBRFoRD, TEX, Feb. 5.-This
morning your reporter was handed
marked copy of the Corsicana Courier
of February ., by Mr.. Ira B. Taylor of this
city, contsinipg false charge against our
railroad committee, and specially against
Judge John T. Harcourt. Following is
copy of the article:
Weatherford is jubilant that she
"downed Corsicana," and that she has
reached away out of the wilderness with
out cur aid or assistance. She has Sc
cured tap of the Santa Fee The Santa
Fe will give her new connection in the
state, aud except in yer round about
way no connection outside. She has not
much to glory over. she has agreed to
give 500, 900 far the privilege of having the
trade now tributary to her 60 to Gle
burne, which it will do as q natural conse-
quence. 1t is of a piece with the whole
of the work done by the committee of
which Mr.. HsrCourt was the worthy
head. This is the man who cast about
him in every direction to "down Cor
sicana" because he feared orr competi-
ton, and was Jealous of our committees
influence. He did everything in
ais power to get all the
glory and all the credit of getting
new railroad, aud if he could not have
done better would have given bonus to
corporation who would build an air
liue to hades if he could get the credit of
it's projection. When Weatherford real
ICES couple of years hence, provided
the "tsp'' ever is built, which is doubt
full, that Cleburne has sCooped her, her
pride in the "artful doGger" chairman
will receive q shock.
The feeling expressed in the above
article from the CJrsicana Daily Courier
is certainly not the feeling of the Corsi-
cana people. In justice to our commit
tee and Judge Harcourt, THE GAZETTE
correspondent handed the paper to the
Judge and asked him if there were any
grounds for the charge.
The Judge very pleasantly replied that
he would not lose any sleep over the
charge; that he had acted in good faith
and entire fairness towards Corsicana,
and President Fordyce. "It is we'll
known" said he, "that our
people were anxious to get another out
let and our committee was expected to
use every eXertion in their behalf. Be-
fore we received a formal proposition
from the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas
Railroad, our committee became i'm
patient and one of them asked for pro-
position from the Santa Fe, and was in
consultation at Galveston at the very
time that the ST. Louis, Arkansas and
Texas made their first PROPOSE ion. This
was not such as could be accepted. When
this company afterward agreed to
our proposition of S50,0u0,
our people were Juoilant and
anxious to close up the contract aud get
the road from CorsiCsna TO Weat1erford.
About this time Overtures were made to
one of our committee and one of the Gle
purne committee by the Santa Fe man
agement, and this being discovered by
President Fordyce, who suspected that
there was some bad faith by our commit
tees, he broke up all further negotiation
by declaring that he wished to withdraw
any proposition he had made. This was
a surprise, and after trying cur
best to assure MIN of our good
faith, he declined to say
that he was misinformed, and our CON-
mttee felt released and free to go to Gal
weston to make contract with the Santa
Fe for the extension OF their line to
Weatherford from Cleburne. Ii We had
not acted promptly we were in danger of
losing both roads. We have not secured
q "tap," as the Courier iatimates. bItare
connected with the strongest railway
system. in the United States, and have
every hope that the Calf, Colorado
and Scnta Fe will form division !
from Cleburne by way of Westherford up
to Seymour, and then connect with the !
same system coming down froR Las We
gas, in NeE Mexico.
awe have not intended to down Corsi-
cana,' and nope she will not exhibit the
spite indicated by her paper.
"If that editor wants position as cam
ductor on that air line to hades, We
think him well qualified to fill it, -
1t is a well known fact here that Judgef
Esrcours had scted as the fiend of Cor